GSU Retail Wins Big In An International Competition
The College of Business Administration had a victorious representation in Toronto, Canada in a 2007 retail competition known as Charrette. The Charrette was the first annual international event conducted by the American Collegiate Retailing Association. While all the GSU students were recognized for outstanding performance, two of the marketing students, Ashley Ferguson and Chris Wilson, placed first and second respectively in the Charrette Competition. Professor and director for the Center for Retail Studies, Dr. Kathleen Gruben, was extremely impressed with the professionalism and presentation of all the students that she sponsored for the trip.
From left to right: Jenny Salerno, Ashley Murray, Brittany
Dixon
Kathleen Gruben, Chris Wilson, Ashley Ferguson and Tiana Ross
The competition is similar to "The Apprentice" where the students were put into teams and given an assignment which they had to present a solution to in four days time. It was a change to put business sense and creativity to the test in a real world case study.
Kathleen Gruben, professor of the Center for Retail Studies, held interviews for the six students that did an excellent job in representing Georgia Southern. Each student had a background in marketing, retail management or fashion merchandise.
Other universities representing the United States were Auburn University, University of North Texas, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Marrymount University of New Hampshire. The Charrette was held at Ryerson University in part with their School of Retail Management.
The competition Started on March 25, when the teams received their assignment: create a plan to optimize the retail space for the Toronto International Film Festival Group's 2010 endeavor, Festival Centre. The teams went straight to work assigning roles among themselves, doing research and trying to develop a concept.
The next day consisted of tours of major businesses in Toronto to understand the task at hand, speaking with retail industry experts and then a proper beginning to their presentations. On March 27, was strictly a work day, as team members worked diligently into the wee hours of the morning.
Presentation took place on March 28 during the afternoon. GSU students were complimented on their presentation skills.
Dr.Gruben intends to have GSU host the event next year, with the activity taking place in Savannah. She hopes the second Annual Charrette will bring even more retail opportunities for GSU students.
The opportunity was well received by the participants. Winner Wilson said, "[The Charrette] was a great learning experience. I will take away new knowledge and friends."
Brittany Dixon, another participant, said, "It was an absolute wonderful experience that gave me the opportunity to apply what I've learned in the classroom to the real world."
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Click Here to see the complete list of Charrette sponsors
